Search form

Search

USCIRF mourns the sudden passing of Chinese human rights lawyer Dr. Li Baiguang (second from left), a devoted advocate for religious freedom who represented falsely accused Chinese pastors and others. The full USCIRF statement can be found here. The State Department statement can be found here.

USCIRF Vice Chairwomen Sandra Jolley and Kristina Arriaga published an Op-Ed on January 11, 2017 in Religion News Service about U.S. Pastor Andrew Brunson who has been imprisoned in Turkey for more than a year. They visited with Pastor Brunson in Kiriklar Prison in October 2017. Read the full text here.

USCIRF welcomed the State Department’s naming of “Countries of Particular Concern” (CPCs) for severe religious freedom violations. This group comprises nations that violate religious freedom in a “systematic, ongoing, egregious” manner and includes Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The USCIRF Press Release may be found here. The State Department announcement may be found here.

Welcome to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) webpage! Click here to learn more about the work of USCIRF. Click here to learn more about the Commissioners of USCIRF.

USCIRF's newest Press Release "State Department Announces the First Global Magnitsky Sanctions." “Global Magnitsky sanctions against individuals who have committed gross human rights abuses are an important new tool in the U.S. government’s human rights toolbox,” said USCIRF’s Chairman Daniel Mark.” Read the full press release here.

USCIRF Vice Chairwoman Kristina Arriaga (center right) and Commissioner Thomas J. Reese, S.J. (center left) met with Elijah Brown (center), the newly-appointed general secretary for the Baptist World Alliance, and other representatives from the Baptist World Alliance in January. USCIRF and BWA discussed issues related to religious freedom globally and heard from Mr. Brown about his plans for BWA in 2018.

USCIRF Vice Chairwomen Sandra Jolley and Kristina Arriaga, and Commissioners Jackie Wolcott and Thomas Reese met with UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights Prof. Karima Bennoune and representatives from the non-profit, governmental, and academic sectors for a private roundtable discussion on women and religious freedom. Read more about USCIRF's work on women and religious freedom here.

USCIRF is proud to announce its new “Policy Update” series. This periodic publication will include information and analysis related to the status of religious freedom in the countries USCIRF monitors. This Policy Update focuses on religious freedom conditions in Iraq. Read the Policy Update here.

UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights Prof. Karima Bennoune met with Commissioner Thomas Reese, Vice Chair Sandra Jolley, and Chairman Daniel Mark to discuss her mandate and her work on women's rights. Read about USCIRF's work on women and religious freedom here.

What's New at USCIRF

Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in Washington D.C. on April 18, 2018, for a summit commemorating the 20th anniversary of the passage of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The summit will include a plenary to discuss the “State of the Union” of international religious freedom followed by two panels featuring distinguished guests discussing strategies for achieving positive change for religious freedom and prisoners of conscience around the world.read more

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns a new indictment issued by Turkish prosecutors this week charging Pastor Andrew Brunson with “leadership in a terrorist organization” and seeking a possible life sentence in his case. Pastor Brunson is an American citizen and the leader of a small Protestant Christian church in the city of Izmir, Turkey, where he has served for over 22 years. He was detained on October 7, 2016 and accused by Turkish officials of membership in an armed terrorist organization, though official charges have not yet been released to the public.
read more

Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a briefing on Capitol Hill on the synergies and opportunities for defending and promoting women's right to equality and international religious freedom. This briefing will take place on Friday, March 16, from 9:30 - 10:30 AM in room 2400 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
read more

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) mourns the sudden passing of Chinese human rights lawyer Dr. Li Baiguang, a devoted advocate for religious freedom who represented falsely accused Chinese pastors and others targeted for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief.
read more

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is concerned by recent reports that roughly 100 members of Iranian religious minorities, who sought resettlement to the United States, have been denied asylum and could be returned to Iran where they may face discrimination and persecution.The refugees, most of whom are reported to be Assyrian or Armenian Christians, were seeking refuge in the United States under the Lautenberg Amendment. The Lautenberg Amendment, enacted in 1990, was expanded in 2004 to allow members of Iranian religious minorities, including Christians, Zoroastrians, Baha’is, and others, to apply for refugee status under a special category in recognition of their status as persecuted minorities.
read more

Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project

USCIRF's Religious Prisoner of Conscience Project highlights individuals imprisoned for exercising their freedom of religion or belief, as well as the dedicated advocacy of USCIRF Commissioners working for their release. Please click the photos below for more information on the prisoners, and the Commissioners' efforts on their behalfs.

USCIRF Daily News Digest

Tweets from @USCIRF

USCIRF Focus: Blasphemy Laws

Respecting Rights? Measuring the World’s Blasphemy Lawscatalogs the offending laws found in a wide range of countries. In some countries, blasphemy laws are enforced weakly, if at all, yet such laws, “in both theory and practice, harm individuals and societies.” The report details laws spanning the globe from countries such as Canada and Switzerland to Iran and Indonesia with penalties ranging from fines to death. Surprisingly, more than one-third of the world’s nations have blasphemy laws today.

Selected Blasphemy Casesseeks to put a human face on blasphemy laws. The individuals highlighted here are only a sample of those who have been negatively impacted by blasphemy laws. For some we have pictures, but for many we do not. Read their stories, the charges against them, and their sentences to better understand the devastating impact of these laws and the need for repeal.

Women and Religious Freedom: Synergies and Opportunities

While a common misperception persists that women’s rights to equality and freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) are clashing rights, the two are actually indivisible and interrelated, as shown in Women and Religious Freedom: Synergies and Opportunities. FoRB is neither a right of “religion” as such, nor an instrument for support of religiously phrased limitations on women’s rights to equality. Harmful practices affecting women and girls cannot be accepted as legitimate manifestations of FoRB because the assertion of one human rights claim cannot be used to extinguish other rights.

Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in Washington D.C. on April 18, 2018, for a summit commemorating the 20th anniversary of the passage of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The summit will include a plenary to discuss the “State of the Union” of international religious freedom followed by two panels featuring distinguished guests discussing strategies for achieving positive change for religious freedom and prisoners of conscience around the world.

Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a summit commemorating the 20th anniversary of the passage of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The summit will include a plenary to discuss the “State of the Union” of international religious freedom followed by two panels featuring distinguished guests discussing strategies for achieving positive change for religious freedom and prisoners of conscience around the world.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) strongly condemns a new indictment issued by Turkish prosecutors this week charging Pastor Andrew Brunson with “leadership in a terrorist organization” and seeking a possible life sentence in his case. Pastor Brunson is an American citizen and the leader of a small Protestant Christian church in the city of Izmir, Turkey, where he has served for over 22 years. He was detained on October 7, 2016 and accused by Turkish officials of membership in an armed terrorist organization, though official charges have not yet been released to the public.

Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a briefing on Capitol Hill on the synergies and opportunities for defending and promoting women's right to equality and international religious freedom. This briefing will take place on Friday, March 16, from 9:30 - 10:30 AM in room 2400 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) mourns the sudden passing of Chinese human rights lawyer Dr. Li Baiguang, a devoted advocate for religious freedom who represented falsely accused Chinese pastors and others targeted for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is concerned by recent reports that roughly 100 members of Iranian religious minorities, who sought resettlement to the United States, have been denied asylum and could be returned to Iran where they may face discrimination and persecution.The refugees, most of whom are reported to be Assyrian or Armenian Christians, were seeking refuge in the United States under the Lautenberg Amendment. The Lautenberg Amendment, enacted in 1990, was expanded in 2004 to allow members of Iranian religious minorities, including Christians, Zoroastrians, Baha’is, and others, to apply for refugee status under a special category in recognition of their status as persecuted minorities.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) was deeply saddened to learn of the death on Sunday of Ms. Asma Jahangir, a leading human rights defender in Pakistan and a former United Nations expert on freedom of religion or belief. “Ms. Jahangir was an outspoken critic of the Pakistani government’s misuse of blasphemy laws, particularly targeting Ahmadis and Christians,” said USCIRF Chairman Daniel Mark. “She did this despite great risk to her own personal safety. She will always be remembered as a fearless advocate for human rights both in Pakistan and around the globe.”